Car Accident Injury Information

Who is legally at fault for causing the auto accident?

Liability refers to who is legally at fault for causing the accident as a result of negligence. If the ruling is “you” to any extent (“contributory negligence”) then you will not be entitled to financial compensation under Maryland law.

In instances where the evidence is concrete, the other driver’s insurer might concede fault. In most instances, however, fault will be contested. As you can imagine this can be a complex dispute and is best handled by your Maryland accident lawyer.

How much financial compensation can you get?

In car accident cases, injuries and losses are called “damages” or “specials” which can be recovered via a jury verdict, a judge’s ruling or a settlement. In Maryland, an accident victim can recover damages related to four general categories:

1. Medical expenses,
2. Property damages,
3. Value of time missed from work called “lost wages,” and
4. “Pain and suffering”

Determining medical, property and employment damages can be relatively straightforward using receipts and documentation. Determining the monetary equivalent for “pain and suffering,” also known as intangible losses, is a much more complex and challenging undertaking.

Even if all “economic” damages were recouped, the accident victim is still faced with “non-economic” losses, i.e., the impact that the accident and injuries had on his or her life, past, present and future. Creating justification for the financial equivalent of these losses is an integral part of the case, and once again should be undertaken by an experienced car accident personal injury attorney.